


Afraid to Light the Fuse Again

by Ms_Understood94



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AI Paired Relationships, Alternate Universe - Black Mirror Episode: s04e04 Hang the DJ, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Inspired by Black Mirror, Soulmate AU, other minor relationships - Freeform, this is so self-indulgent, well kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2019-12-07 05:12:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18230375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ms_Understood94/pseuds/Ms_Understood94
Summary: The Coach is the gold standard of dating platforms. Through a series of matches, each with a set expiration date, the Coach system is able to determine your ultimate match - your soulmate. When Percy and Annabeth are matched, they wrestle with the deep connection they form, in the short time the Coach gives them





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Y'ALL - it has been almost a year since I've posted anything! I ran into a serious case of writer's block, but I'm back with a Black Mirror AU that I've been wanting to do for a very long time (AKA, this is a very self-indulgent fanfic)
> 
> A little sappy, but major thanks to everyone that has continued to read/comment on my stories. You are a large reason why I pushed myself to write something again! Keep being lovely humans <3
> 
> On a semi-related note, if you have any requests for stories you want to see, that might help spark my creative juices :) No guarantees, but might be fun to write a story for someone!

“Okay coach, talk me through this I'm nervous,” Annabeth spoke.

She felt immensely ridiculous talking to the little round screen in her hand, but everyone else around her was doing so. Glancing around at all of the couples eating happily beside her, she vaguely wondered if this was their first date or their tenth or their 30th.

“Just relax, “ a synthetic voice chimed from the handheld device, “your date has been told what table to come to. He will be here in a few minutes and then I will assess your compatibility. “,

Annabeth nodded, nerves still flaring. Everyone she knew spoke highly of the Coach program, but it was a time consuming and exhausting process. It was very intimidating while waiting for your first date of god knows how many, with the vague promise of eventually finding ‘your soulmate’.

“Sorry excuse me,” she heard a voice apologize behind her. Turning, she saw arguably one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen speaking to a waiter he'd just run into.

Before she had any more time to think, he was approaching her table.

“Excuse me, are you Annabeth?” he asked, and Annabeth heart soared. Her throat was suddenly very dry so she just nodded.

The gentleman stuck his hand out with a wide grin, “I'm Percy, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow as she reached for his hand, “So you're the handshaking type. “

Percy just grinned and shrugged, finally taking a seat across from her. Now that he was closer,  she had the time to truly examine his features. His black hair was a wild mess on top of his head, occasionally flopping down to almost cover his shockingly green eyes. They were such a rare color, Annabeth was mesmerized looking at them.

Not wanting to stare too long, she looked down to grab a menu as a distraction when she noticed there were none.

“How do we order?” she questioned, hoping Percy wouldn't think the question was too stupid.

“Dunno. Thought I heard that they know your preferences and will bring you something that suits your tastes or something like that.”

“Well that's a tad creepy,” Annabeth muttered under her breath, but apparently Percy heard, as he let out a beat of laughter.

He was staring at her, with his eyes crinkled up in the corner and a lopsided grin on his face. Annabeth could practically feel herself falling for him. The Coach had pretty good taste after all…

Sure enough, seconds later, some waiters came by with two plates - a Caesar salad for Annabeth and a seafood stew for Percy.

“Oh c'mon,” Percy groaned, “you guys know I don't like eating seafood.”

Annabeth chuckled at the unfortunate situation her date was in, “Why don't you like eating seafood? “

Percy rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness, “Well, uh, this is a bit embarrassing, but growing up I absolutely loved anything with water. I was an avid swimmer  but my favorite memories were when we went to the Aquarium and I saw just how much life exists under the water. It fascinated me. And for some reason since childhood, I've always felt guilty eating any kind of seafood. I guess i just feel like I understand sea creatures and see how cruelly we treat them. “

While he was talking, he had averted his gaze, but he shifted his eyes back to Annabeth now. There was a softness to her face that instantly made Percy feel comfortable. This was not the type of woman to mock him for sharing slightly embarrassing secrets.

_Holy shit. He's known this woman for all of 5 minutes and he's already sharing childhood secrets. Well he better buckle up. He was betting this was a match he was going to be with for a long time._

_“_ Would you like to check the expiration date Coach has in store for us? “ he asked not wanting to wait any longer to find out his future with this woman.

Annabeth visibly gulped before softly speaking, “Uh, sure. I'll admit I'm pretty nervous, you're my first match in the system.”

Percy's grin visibly brightened, “Same here. Alright now how do we check this?”

Annabeth pulled her Coach out of where she'd stuffed it in her purse earlier, “I think if you go to features, yeah, there's an option to select time remaining for current match.”

“So I just press it? “ Percy asked, unconvinced it would be so simple.

Annabeth lightly rolled her eyes (which Percy found adorable, by the way), “We have to press it at the same time. It only works if both people consent to finding out.”

Percy nodded  then asked, “You ready? “

Annabeth let out a shaky breath with a nod. They pressed the button and the screen began to spin. Annabeth's mind was racing with possibilities. Her and Percy clearly had a deep connection - how much time would she get with him? A few weeks? A couple of months? A year?

The Coach made a ding noise and Annabeth looked down, her heart dropping straight down into the core of the earth.

“18 hours, “ she read in a slightly disappointed tone.

“A bit shorter than I expected,” Percy confessed.

“Yeah me too,” Annabeth sighed. Dropping the Coach back into her purse.

Going out on a limb, Percy spoke again, “I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed too. I….I really like you, Annabeth”

“Me too. It felt like we were really hitting off,” Annabeth said as she reached her hand across the table and lightly covered Percy’s hand

He gave her hand a small squeeze, “I guess all we can do is enjoy our time together. As the Coach says, everything happens for a reason.”

Annabeth wondered exactly what reason the Coach would have for such a short pairing. What could it possibly learn in the next 18 hours that would help it identify her soulmate?

“So now what?” Percy asked, pointing to their empty plates.

“We got out front and the shuttles take us to our accommodations,”, Annabeth spoke before letting out a small laugh, “Did you watch any of the introductory video?”

Percy scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “I, uh, am not always the best at paying attention. ADHD”

Annabeth touched his shoulder as they walked away from the table, “Hey I have ADHD too so I totally understand how hard it can be to pay attention sometimes. Anyways shall we get going, good sir?”

On their way outside  Percy placed his hand on the small of Annabeth’s back. He liked this woman so incredibly much, he found it hard to believe that they were only supposed to be together for 18 hours.

She was just his type, - how was it fair that they got such a short amount of time together?

The driverless van pulling up in front of them knocked Percy out of his thoughts. Together they climbed in, marveling at the technology and how it was a little creepy that the van just _knew_ where to go.

Several minutes passed while the van drove along the perimeter wall of the complex. Percy let out a low whistle.

“I'm not sure if they built it high enough,” he joked.

Annabeth whispered, “Do you think they are trying to keep something out…or keep us in?”

Percy gave her a strange look, “You know, I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question.”

A few minutes later, the van came to a stop in front of a small cabin-like home. The two stepped out.

“So, uh, how do we, yanno, get inside?” Percy asked while scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“We have to kiss and then the door will open,” Annabeth stated, matter-of-factly

Percy visibly gulped, excited to kiss Annabeth but also nervous because he pictured their first kiss, slightly more…romantic.

He started to lean in, when he saw Annabeth's  hand reach towards the monitor beside the door. After pressing her palm against the glass, the door clicked open.

She backed away from Percy slightly, a wicked grin on her face  “I got you _good.”_

Percy cursed the gods that Annabeth was impossibly more irresistible in his mind now. He decided to have a little fun and get back at her.  

Since he was closest to the door, he peeked his head inside, but blocked any view Annabeth might have of the place.

He whistled lowly, “Wow. It's a real dump. Like a total shit hole. I can't believe they're putting us up here.”

Turning to look at Annabeth, he saw disappointment flash across her face. With a shit-eating grin on his face, he pushed the door open, revealing the complete opposite of a dump.

Annabeth stepped past him, already in love with the architectural style and admiring the decorations that felt like they had been tailored directly to her.

“I heard they design these to fit the personalities of the ‘couple’ as well,” Percy spoke from behind her.

Annabeth turned to him, wonder in her eyes.

He shrugged, “Hey I paid attention to _some_ things in orientation.”

Now that the door was closed and it was just the two of them _alone_ , Annabeth was filled with all kinds of nerves.

“I, um, have to go to the bathroom,” she declared suddenly, hoping she could collect herself in there.

She had never felt this way before. It was hard to tell whether it was nerves about starting the Coach program or being with Percy alone. She really liked him, and a part of her didn't want to rush things. But then again, they only had about 17 hours left on their timer.

Annabeth was struck with one of her least favorite feelings in the world - not knowing what to do. Hoping Coach could help  she dug the handheld device out of her purse.

“Coach, “ she began, “What am I supposed to do? “

“Query too vague,” the Coach replied infuriatingly.

“Are we just supposed to, you know, _do it_? Like a one night stand?” Annabeth blushed at even the thought of this

“The system doesn't have any standards for what you do with your time. That is completely up to you and your match.”

Annabeth groaned, “But why would you set is up for such a short amount of time if that's not what you had in mind?”

“The match and length is based on compatibility in our system. The system doesn't have any standards for what you do with your time.” the monotonous voice parroted back.

Meanwhile Percy was in the kitchen, desperately querying his Coach for the same information.

“So this is just about sex, right?” he whispered, afraid Annabeth would hear.

“What's about sex?” his Coach replied in an alarmingly loud voice.

“This match!” he whispered urgently, “You only gave us 18 hours so we're just to have casual sex and be done with it?”

“The system doesn't have any standards for what you do with your time. That is completely up to you and your match.”

Percy ran his hands through his hair, “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Query too vague,” the Coach replied.

Percy would be lying if he said he wasn’t _extremely_ attracted to Annabeth, but something about treating her as a one-night stand didn’t feel right. He wanted to know every little thing about her - what her favorite color was, what her hair looked like after a long-night’s sleep, her hopes and dreams. These feelings were not casual

Just then, Annabeth pushed the bathroom door open. Percy all but threw his Coach device away from him.

Annabeth gave him a shy smile. Both of them were too scared to ask the other what they thought they should do with the time. Slowly, they strode towards each other.

“I'm getting kind of tired, I think I may want to go to bed, “ Annabeth said, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth. She genuinely felt a connection with Percy, and she just made it seem like she wasn't interested at all.

They both turned to look at the bedroom, where, of course, there was only one king bed.

Percy touched her arm gently “I can sleep on the couch.”

“Don't be ridiculous, we can share the bed,” Annabeth countered.

She laid down and patted the bed next to her.

Percy plopped down dramatically, causing them both to laugh. For a few minutes they quizzed each other about basic things - favorite color, favorite movie, favorite song. After that, the conversation lulled into a comfortable silence.

“I don't know how people dated before the Coach system. Seems like a colossal waste of time paired with unlimited disappointment and confusion,” Percy blurted.

“I don't know, I think it might have been nice. In its own way, ” Annabeth said softly, staring at the ceiling.

Percy gestured for her to go on, genuinely curious of her thoughts.

“Just being able to enjoy your time with someone. The thrill of that first encounter when you feel a connection but want to see if the other person does too. Never knowing when it's going to end, so fully enjoying every second.”

“Well I'm enjoying every second with you,” Percy countered smoothly.

“But…don't you feel like without the timer we'd be acting differently right now? There's just this big expiration date looming over our heads like a death sentence so it makes it hard to feel the need to form a connection you know?”

That hit Percy like a sucker punch. There was a part of him that felt he was holding back because if he allowed himself to fall for this girl,  to really fall, he wasn't sure he could take it when it ended so quickly.

“Yeah, I do know,” he breathed.

“I don’t think I would’ve chosen to spend only 18 hours with you,” Annabeth whispered so quietly, Percy almost didn’t hear her. She slowly moved her hand across the bed to rest atop Percy's.

Percy turned to look at her before giving a soft smile and interlacing his fingers with hers.

Even though they had such a short amount of time together, Annabeth was immensely glad the system paired her and Percy. If her first match had this much of a connection, it was hard to imagine what it would be like with her soul mate.

Percy turned to face her then and drew himself even closer. With his free hand, he brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes.

Annabeth closed her eyes, relishing in his closeness and the tenderness of his touch. She too leaned forward until only inches separated their lips. After a few breaths fraught with anticipation, Percy gently captured her lips with his.

It was simple, sweet, and chaste, yet Annabeth still felt like fireworks were exploding in her heart. They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes.

Neither made another move again, wanting to hold on to the simple magic of that moment.

They fell asleep holding hands.

* * *

 

Blinking his eyes open, Percy realized it was already morning. Somehow, overnight, he had managed to drape his arm across Annabeth. Even though their time was almost up, he couldn't help but notice how _right_ this felt _._

Slowly, he unsnaked his arm from her waist and rolled over to check the time. With a 1 hour countdown showing, his Coach was practically glaring at him from where he'd thrown it last night.

He pushed himself out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. No matter how much he wanted to spend his last hour memorizing Annabeth’s face and voice and laugh, he couldn't bring himself to break her out of her sleep. Instead, he busied himself with making pancakes. To his delight, the kitchen had an abundance of blue food dye. I guess they really did tailor these places to the people staying in them.

He lost track of time in his cooking, and before he knew it  a pair of arms were wrapping around his waist.

“Good morning,” Annabeth whispered in his ear before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

It was so domestic that it physically pained Percy. Annabeth was right, in another life, without the system, there was no way he would be leaving after 18 hours. But Coach knows best, or so everyone says.

“You made breakfast,” Annabeth exclaimed  before a confused look crossed her face, “And the pancakes are… blue?”

Percy chuckled and set a plate down in front of her.

“I told you, my favorite color is blue. When I was younger, my mom took on a challenge to make all kinds of food blue. Blue food just fills me with nostalgia from those days.”

“Aw that's nice. I can just picture little Percy gobbling up all kinds of blue food.”

Percy blushed, but said nothing. They fell into a comfortable silence, neither wanting to discuss the impending demise of their relationship.

Randomly, Percy asked, “Want to dance?“

“Uh, sure,” Annabeth replied hesitantly, taking his outstretched hand, “But, uh, there's no music Seaweed Brain,”

“Seaweed Brain?” he questioned, as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Well yeah, it seems fitting. You said you love water and sometimes it just seems like maybe there's Seaweed up there… “

She thought that maybe Percy would be offended at the insinuation that he isn't smart. Instead, she saw a dopey grin on his face as he looked at her.

“Well aren't you just a Wise Girl?”

Annabeth laughed at the ridiculousness of their nicknames for each other. She laid her head on Percy's chest, wishing for time to stop.

Instead, her Coach device spoke from the counter, “You must leave the premises in 10 minutes.”

She whipped her head off his shoulder, shocked they had so little time left. His eyes, which bore into hers, were filled with almost too many emotions to count- sadness, desperation, fear, longing, and maybe even the beginning traces of love.

“Well, uh, I guess that's our cue,” Percy said quietly, stepping away from her.

“Yeah, I'll just grab my things. “

Annabeth strode off quickly to the far side of her room where her purse was. Apparently all of your larger personal belongings would be moved for you to your new condo, once you were matched with someone new.

When she turned around, Percy was standing near the door, with a hand outstretched in her direction.

Sighing, she walked toward him and interlaced their fingers. They shut the door behind them and saw that the monitor outside the house was counting down their time too - only 5 minutes left.

For a few moments, they just stared into each other's eyes. They had only been paired for 18 hours, but Annabeth felt as though Percy was her new best friend.

“This sounds silly because we had less than a day together, but I'm going to miss you,” Percy confessed while pulling her into a tight hug.

“I'm going to miss you too. Maybe we’ll see each other around?”

It came out more as a question because Annabeth honestly wasn't sure if the program ever allowed you to interact with someone you'd dated previously. She sure hoped so.

“By the way, if we were paired again, you'd totally get it,” Annabeth whispered into his ear, giving his ass a squeeze for good measure

Percy audibly gulped, “Good to know.”

With that, Annabeth dropped his hand, immediately missing its warmth. She strode over to the van that had been called for her. It started driving to god knows where.

One relationship down, who knows how many more to go until she meets her soulmate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this chapter for about the last week, agonizing about the final details. Finally convinced myself to just pull the trigger on it
> 
> I have so many ideas about where I want to take the story, but so little time to actually write! Hopefully the updates will be a bit more frequent over the summer.
> 
> Also one other note, I'm changing the rating of the story, as there are more mentions of sex than I initially anticipated (woops!) Still can't bring myself to write anything explicit, so just more ~adult content~
> 
> Enjoy!

[ _Recap_ ]

_With that, Annabeth dropped his hand, immediately missing its warmth. She strode over to the van that had been called for her. It started driving to god knows where._

_One relationship down, who knows how many more to go until she meets her soulmate._

* * *

 After a few minutes, the van pulled up to a small apartment complex. She placed her palm to the monitor, and it opened the door, as well as gave her a room assignment.

This must be where she stays when she isn't paired with someone. Sure enough, a closet full of her clothes was already stocked. After spending the night with Percy's company, this apartment felt far too empty. She pulled out Coach.

“Coach  what am I supposed to do now?”

“Just do whatever you normally would. I will notify you when you have another match.”

Annabeth shrugged and strode over to the  closet. Luckily, they had provided her lots of running clothes. Good, she needed to run off some steam right now.

About an hour later, she came to a stop in a beautiful little park that had a small lake in the middle. She picked up a small stone and tossed it towards the lake, managing to skip it an impressive 4 times.

Just as the stone sunk below the surface, the Coach made a dinging noise that she guessed was to signal a notification.

“You have a new match. Meet in the restaurant at 7:00 p.m.”

“Already?” she asked, not sure she was even over the short relationship she and Percy had yet.

“Yes. The system tries to minimize times between matches in order to pair you with your soulmate sooner.”

Annabeth nodded. After all, the whole point of the program was to find your one true match. And she would have to kiss a lot of frogs to get her prince…

* * *

 On the other side of the complex, Percy had made his way to a small grassy hill. He was plucking the blades, lost in thought.

He had only had the one match, but something about the system felt comically unfair. Why would they pair him with someone so perfect for him on his first match, and make it be so short?

He was left longing for moments he would never have with Annabeth - a deep kiss, strolling around the complex while holding hands, making love for the first time. Sighing in frustration, he laid down on the hill.

Just as he was contemplating asking Coach how he could get matched up with Annabeth again, the handheld device buzzed.

“You have a new match, meet in the restaurant at 5:30 pm.”

“Are you kidding me, that's in like half an hour” Percy muttered before picking up Coach and addressing it directly, “what if I'm not in the mood for another date?”

Percy liked to imagine that if Coach had any emotions, she would have sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

“If you do not meet up with one of your matches, you will be removed from the system” she replied, emotionless.

“Well shit, that's harsh.”

Coach spoke up again, “It is in your best interest to be matched as soon as possible. Then, I can provide your one true match sooner.”

“What's the point of a match that short? What could you possibly learn about my soul mate preferences from that?” Percy asked quietly, still thinking of Annabeth.

“Everything happens for a reason. Even the shortest of matches assist me in matching you to your soul mate,” Coach replied.

Percy rolled his eyes, the seeds of doubt about the system already taking root in his mind.

* * *

 After a very rushed stop at his apartment to make himself look presentable, Percy strolled into the restaurant, looking at his Coach for confirmation of his next match. Her name was Calypso and she was supposedly in the back corner of the dining room.

As he approached, he saw a gorgeous girl with caramel colored hair, fidgeting with her hands. His nerves flared the closer he got to the table. Apparently the Coach was going to pair him with his soulmate by consistently matching him with women incredibly out of his league.

"Hi, sorry I'm late, the Coach decided not to let me know about this until like a half an hour ago," he blurted once he was standing in front of her.

She gave a small, rueful smile before replying, "Hi Late, I'm Calypso."

He couldn't help the beat of laughter that jumped from his mouth. Taking the joke as an invitation, he plopped down across from her.

"The name’s actually Percy," he said, sticking his hand out across the table.

She peered at it for a moment before reaching her hand towards his. Another small smile adorned her face as she pulled away.

"So Percy," she started, before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear (which, Percy noted, was incredibly cute), "have you been part of the Coach program long?'

"Nah, this, uh, actually only my second match."

Calypso let out a low whistle, "A veritable newbie. This is my 6th match."

"Wow. How's it been? Does it get easier to leave?" He asked, earnestly.

Her smile slipped, but she recovered quickly, "Not really. But some matches aren't compatible, so it's easier. It really depends on if you have...a connection."

Her eyes met his with an intensity that made heat pool in his stomach.

He gulped, "So, should we, uh, check our expiration date?"

She bit her lip as she reached into her purse to fetch her Coach device. Percy suddenly found himself anxious about what the system had in store for them. After counting down together , they pressed the button to reveal their time.

_6 months._

Their eyes locked, with a promise of something great on the horizon. But still, Percy couldn't stop the traitorous thought that entered his mind - _why on Earth did the system give him and Annabeth such a short amount of time?_

Their dinner conversation flowed easily, and before he knew it, they were in the van heading to their home for the next half year. It was almost hard to imagine how long that would feel.

As they drove along the border wall, Percy’s thoughts drifted back to Annabeth’s musings about the wall. Why on Earth would a dating complex need such a wall? It seemed to be almost taunting him, _daring_ him even, to scale it. What was it keeping him from?

Lost in his thoughts, Percy didn’t realize they had pulled up in front of their new house until Calypso gently shook his arm. He smiled down at her as they approached the door, and she smirked back, desire clear in her eyes.

As soon as they passed through the threshold of their house, Calypso's lips were on his. He didn’t even have time to admire the layout (and lament its lack of modern architecture that seemed so _Annabeth_ he didn’t realize he’d miss it until it was gone) before Calypso’s slender fingers were swiftly undoing the buttons on the shirt.

Together, lips never parting for more than a few seconds, they made their way over to the bed, haphazardly tossing clothes aside as they went. The sex was quick and intense, leaving them both gasping for air when they finished

While the post-orgasm bliss settled over them, Calypso snuggled herself into Percy’s chest. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around her and began combing through her hair. It was soft, but lacked a certain curl that he loved.

Calypso’s breathing deepened, and he chided himself for constantly comparing her to Annabeth. It wasn’t fair to Calypso and it wasn’t fair to himself either. Surely, there must be a reason why him and Calypso were given so much more time. He owed it to himself to open his heart up for her, at least a little.  

But, even if he does, she’ll still be ripped away from him in 6 months time…

 _Everything happens for a reason_.

* * *

 It’s 2:13 a.m. when Percy bolts straight up in bed, his stomach feeling like it's tearing itself apart. He all but runs to the bathroom, barely making it before he vomits violently. There's a soft knock on the door, and Percy can only grunt in response Calypso peeks her head in and Percy can't even muster the energy to be embarrassed.

"Oh you poor thing," she whispers as she settles on the floor beside him

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but was hit with another wave of nausea. Calypso started rubbing small circles on his back - a small, but incredibly soothing gesture.

They sat like that for nearly an hour - Calypso whispering random stories to keep him distracted. After a while, his eyes slowly drifted shut. When he came to again, Calypso was starting softly at him.

He had to imagine he looked like total shit at the moment, but she was looking at him like he hung the stars. Slowly he stood, ignoring the blush forming on his face as she steadied his arms

"Careful hero," she said, "let's get you back to bed."

Within seconds of hitting the pillow, Percy was drifting off. In the back of his mind, he registered soft lips pressing against his forehead, but he was asleep before he could really think about what it meant.

Unsurprisingly, he dreamt of Annabeth.

_He was still sick in his dream, but it was Annabeth on the floor next to him. She was the one rubbing circles on his back and rambling on about some architecture concept to keep him distracted. Despite how much Dream Percy felt like shit, it still made him smile. He had no understanding of what she was talking about,but swore he could listen to her ramble for hours. As he started nodding off on the floor of the bathroom, she pushed herself off the floor_

_"C'mon Seaweed Brain," she said, holding out a hand to help him up, “let’s get you back to bed.”_

_He flopped onto his stomach , already beginning to drift off. Annabeth resumed rubbing circles on his back, focusing on the small of his back. Her touch, even in his sleep-muddled brain, sent tingles down his spine. It might sound silly, but it felt like she was anchoring him to the world._

_“I love you Perce,” she whispered in his ear as he finally settled into sleep._

With a gasp, Percy awoke, partially convinced that Annabeth was still in the bed with him. Yet, when he looked beside him, there was distinctly caramel colored hair splayed across the pillow. Luckily, Calypso wasn’t disturbed by his...abrupt awakening. He wasn’t sure how he’d explain dreaming about his last match taking care of him instead of her.

He padded to the bathroom to wash his face, hoping the cold water would clear his mind of his dream.The thing was, it seemed _so real_ . Almost like, instead of a dream, it was some sort of alternate reality. It clearly wasn’t a memory , but the details were _so_ vivid. All the decorations in the house matched _exactly_ what was in their place from a day ago and Annabeth was even wearing the same pajamas (grey, with little owls on them).

Percy had never been prone to particularly vivid dreams, so this was disconcerting. He didn’t really know what to make of it - was he really just overreacting to a dream? There was just something _off_ about it that he couldn’t shake. Ironically, the only person he wanted to talk about this with was Annabeth herself.

Staring at his haggard reflection in the mirror, he thought over what possible explanations there could be for the dream, and why it unsettled him so much.. Ultimately, he came up with three plausible (albeit somewhat unlikely) explanations

  1. It was truly just a dream and he was indeed overreacting
  2. It was some vision of the future, though he didn’t think any prior matches were every paired again
  3. It was something Percy _had_ experienced, despite having no memory of it.



If the answer is #3, it raises a hell of a lot more questions than it answers.

* * *

Annabeth had donned a summery blue dress and showed up to the restaurant 15 minutes early. This was still only match #2 and yeah, she was still a little nervous.

Suddenly, a very attractive man walked in the room. He had tousled blond hair and shockingly blue eyes. He was tall and muscular and had a devastating smile.

“Coach is that him? Please tell me that's him?” Annabeth whispered into her device.

“I am not allowed to reveal the identity of your match. Your match has been told what table to come to, and will arrive shortly. “

Just as Coach wrapped up, the man strode over to the table and sat down.

“HI, I'm Luke, you must be Annabeth.”

_Dear God he had dimples._

“Uh, yeah that's me,” Annabeth stuttered, “it's a pleasure to meet you.”

A small part of her was disappointed he didn't offer a hand to shake ( _was that a thing she cared about before Percy?)_ , but that disappeared as soon as he smiled at her again.

There was an instant lust between them, but Annabeth wasn't sure they necessarily had a connection yet.

Before they even dug into conversation, Luke pulled out his Coach.

“Shall we see just how compatible we are?” he asked waving it around.

“Oh sure,” Annabeth replied, picking her own device off the table.

“Alright, 3, 2, 1…” they counted down together.

1 year popped up on the screen in bold letters. A smile took over Annabeth’s face-she couldn't believe she’d gotten so lucky to be matched with such a godlike man for so long.

Dinner passed quickly and before she knew it, they were piled in the van heading to the condo which would be their home for the next year.

When they entered, Annabeth was surprised that this looked almost exactly like her and Percy’s condo, just with a slightly different decorating style.

Immediately upon entering, Luke made his way to the bathroom, “I'm going to shower quick.”

Without a glance back, he shut the door. Annabeth nodded, and started looking around the room. She was nervous. This felt distinctly different than Percy. She knew she probably shouldn't be comparing, but she just couldn't help herself.

While her and Percy didn't necessarily have this sexual tension that existed with Luke, she felt like she didn't need that with him. She wanted to know every detail of Percy's life, while she really just wanted to jump Luke's bones.

It was hard to imagine spending a whole year  with someone, especially after how short her time with Percy was. She hoped that what she had with Luke would blossom into something deep and true. Something intimate.

Just then, she was broken out of her thoughts by Luke striding out of the bathroom in only a towel. Annabeth immediately felt something stir deep in her stomach.

“So I'm going to be upfront,” Luke began, mussing up his hair in an irresistible way, “I usually like to get sex out of the way on the first date. I find it makes thing less awkward going forward.”

“Oh um, yeah. That's smart,” Annabeth stuttered, not used to such straightforward advances.

Luke took a few steps forward, dropping his towel as he did so. Annabeth gulped, struggling to keep her eyes on his. He surged forward and kissed her roughly.

Their clothes came off in a flurry as they made their way over to the bed.

Feeling him pressed against her ignited a fire deep within her. She rolled her hips up against his and relished in the moan he let out. His hands urgently roamed her body .

He pulled back, leaving both of them panting and starting at each other. Reaching over, he swiftly pulled the drawer open and procured a condom.

Annabeth vaguely wondered how he knew where they were, but then he was poised at her entrance and oh. All thoughts besides Luke left her mind.

Later that night as they lay in bed, Annabeth slowly reached her hand over to capture Luke’s. She wanted to recapture that magic she felt with Percy, just laying in bed and drinking in each others presence.

Apparently Luke took this as some sort of signal from her, because he immediately rolled over and started kissing her again.

Things slowly led to more and, all things considered, it was a pretty good first date.

* * *

Welcome!” a woman who was far too cheery greeted, “Is this your first time attending a ceremony?”

Percy nodded, figuring him and Calypso must've looked as out of place as they felt.

“Very exciting! The ceremony will start in 15 minutes, feel free to grab some appetizers and mingle until then!”

Calypso took off without a word, waving at some friend in the crowd. Percy sighed and then thanked the woman, slowly making his way towards the food.

“The Ceremony” was the Coach’s way of trying to ensure people didn't lose faith in the program. Essentially, every so often they would pick a couple that had been matched and have a sending off party for them.

They'd make some cheesy speech about how their life has been forever changed by the program, they'd kiss, then drive off into the sunset and no one would ever see them again. Who knows if they actually lived happily ever after - for all Percy knows, they split up as soon as the car gets past the wall.

Percy scratched his head, perhaps his short match with Annabeth had made him a bit more cynical about the program. Maybe he would be reinvigorated after hearing this couple devote their undying love to one another.

He picked up a cracker with garlic spread and took a bite. Pleasantly surprised at its savory taste, he hummed to himself. Just then, he heard a snort of disgust and turned to see Calypso, standing with her hands on her hips.

“Really, you’re going to give yourself garlic breath?,” she said rolling her eyes.

In response, Percy grabbed three more crackers and stuffed them all into his mouth extremely unattractively. Calypso rolled her eyes and strode away from him, lightly hitting his shoulder as she went.

“Percy?” a voice called from behind him.

Mesmerizing grey eyes that he had been missing so much were staring straight into his with something akin to amusement. She was wearing a dress that was his favorite shade of blue, and his heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

“Hi, “ he attempted to say but it mostly came out as a garbled mess because his mouth was still embarrassingly full from the crackers.

Annabeth let out a bellowing laugh and Percy couldn't help but think it was the most beautiful sound in the world. In their short time together, he'd made her laugh, but always the soft laugh shared between two people in the stillness of the night.

How is it possible that he misses a laugh he'd never heard before?

“Um hey,” he greeted after finally swallowing his food.

“How are you?” Annabeth asked with a softness in her eyes that made Percy feel like he wasn't alone in missing what they had.

“I'm alright. Been better,” he shrugged, “How about you? You look lovely.”

That was an understatement, she looked like a goddess.

Just as she opened her mouth to reply, a man came behind her and rested a hand on the small of her back.

“Who's this?” the man asked, sounding possessive even to Percy. Annabeth stiffened almost imperceptibly at his tone, but plastered on a smile.

“Luke this is Percy. Percy, this is Luke, my current match.”

Percy grinned tightly and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

“How do you do?” Percy asked, stretching out his hand for a shake.

Luke gave him a strange look, but shook his hand regardless.

“Well you two make a lovely couple,” Percy said, attempting to keep the conversation going.

“Yeah we do. Got this one for the next year.  It's a pretty great match, if you know what I mean“ Luke winked as he wrapped an arm around Annabeth’s waist.

She squirmed uncomfortably and gave Percy what seemed like an apologetic look. Percy was doing everything in his power to keep his face passive and not let the flurry of emotions he was feeling onto his face.

He settled with an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his neck. He desperately wanted to keep talking with Annabeth, if only just to hear her voice for a few minutes. But with Luke there, he had no idea where to take the conversation.

Annabeth opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the peppy woman from earlier instructing everyone to take their seats. Annabeth’s mouth snapped shut with a slight frown.

“Well, we best be going. It was nice to meet you Perry,” Luke said as he clapped Percy on the back.

Percy smiled back tightly, deciding it wasn't worth it to correct the name slip-up (he was half sure it was intentional anyways)

Luke began to walk away, but Annabeth slipped out of his arms and stood in front of Percy. She bit her lip as if she were debating something, then rushed forward and wrapped him in a quick, tight hug.

“Take care of yourself,” she whispered into his ear.

When she stepped back, Percy spoke softly, “I'll see you around.”

“Hopefully,” Annabeth replied with a wink before turning and joining Luke.

“Who was that?” Calypso asked, a tinge of jealousy evident in her voice.

“Just….” Percy trailed off, unable to think of a way to encapsulate what Annabeth was to him.

As the couple professed their love for each other in front of the crowd, Percy's eyes drifted towards where Annabeth was seating, a few rows in front of him, to the left. Annabeth was already turned, eyes locked on his.

In her eyes, Percy saw a longing that he knew was reflected in his own. If only they had 7 months, or a year together…. Percy was broken out of his reverie, by applause starting up around them. Annabeth quickly snapped her head forward, as Luke leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

Percy spent the rest of the night searching for blonde curls in the crowd, hoping to steal another conversation with her. He’s pretty sure Calypso noticed, but she said nothing.

At the end of the evening, the crowd gathered around the car that was supposed to drive this couple off into their "happily ever after". Around him, everyone started clapping, but it sounded distant to Percy.

As the couple drove off in the car, all Percy could think about was the possibility of having to watch Annabeth drive off with another man after her matching ceremony. The thought made his stomach drop.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a WHILE! I hit a case of writers block and studying for a professional exam so writing has taken a backseat for a bit. But here I am - I'm not giving up on this story yet! 
> 
> As I've started writing, I've gotten a better sense for the direction of the story and added some plot points that I wasn't initially intending on. Next chapter, there will be some mentions of abuse and a few fight scenes, so I am updating the tags of the story now to prepare for that. 
> 
> I will be adding a TW at the start of the section. If you have started reading this story and don't want to read this part, send me a message and I'll see if I can put together a version of the story excluding this. Sorry for not giving proper notice at the beginning of the story - like I said, it's evolved a bit as I've started writing. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has read so far <3

It had been 4 months, 27 days, and 5 hours since he last saw Annabeth. Everywhere he went, he found himself searching for even a glimpse of blonde curls . Surely Calypso has figured it out, but for some reason, she still hadn’t brought it up. 

Speaking of Calypso, everything was fine. That was part of the problem - it was _only_ fine. Percy wished he could say that he didn’t want their time together to end, but there was something about their relationship that just wasn’t clicking. Calypso was great-  an incredible woman, really. And yet Percy still found himself checking the countdown on his Coach several times a day. 

They went through all of the motions of being a ‘perfect couple’, but it all felt… hollow to him. About a month back, he had told Calypso about Annabeth. She had quirked an eyebrow at the soft tone his voice took on as he described her. 

“You really only matched with her for 18 hours?” she asked, dubiously.

Percy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Yeah, why?” 

Calypso shrugged, but did not meet his eyes, “You just talk about her like you’ve been in love with her for years.” 

“I’m not in love with her,” he immediately defended. 

_Was he?_

As soon as the words had left his mouth they felt wrong. He’d known her for such a short time - it wasn’t really possible to fall in love that fast, right? Maybe a strong infatuation, sure, but not love.

Calypso smiled at him then and pulled him in for a kiss, “Good. Because you’re mine now,” 

Percy probably should have felt something - butterflies in his stomach, flutter in his heart - at her declaration, but...there was nothing there. He leaned in and kissed her back, ignoring the empty feeling in his chest. 

* * *

 One day, while he and Calypso were strolling hand in hand, through the park, he glimpsed up toward a serene lake and saw Annabeth sitting by herself. 

After not seeing her for so long, even seeing her from this distance sent his heart into overdrive. It took all of his willpower not to run to her. In his surprise, his hand slipped out of Calypso’s, which caused her to look at him in concern. 

Desperately, he tried to come up with any reasonable excuse, but nothing came. She followed his gaze and settled on the blonde curls, immediately stepping away from him as she did.

“That’s Annabeth,” she announced, not needing confirmation. 

Percy nodded, unsure of what to say. 

"You don't love me, do you?" Calypso questioned, with her eyes still trained on Annabeth. 

Of all the things Percy was expecting her to say, _this_ was not one of them. 

"Um.. what?" He stuttered unintelligently. 

She turned to look at him, tears glistening in your eyes, "You don't want to stay with me."

"C'mon Calypso, we both know the system won't let us stay together after the 23 days we have left," he pleaded.

"There's someone else," she gestured towards Annabeth, "there always is."

"This is my 6th match and every time it's the same," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "All of them are just long enough for me to fall in love with my match, but they are always hung up on a past match. I don’t understand what the Coach could _possibly_ be learning about my soulmate from all of this. "

She laughed without humor, "I even suggested to my last match that we run away from the complex together and he just looked at me with such pity, I still feel embarrassed."

"Calypso, I'm --" Percy reached to touch her shoulder, but she shook it off and cut him off.

"I thought you were different and that we really had something ...special. But the Coach fucked me over again."

As she started walking away, Percy was frozen, unsure whether he should follow her. She turned then, gestured towards Annabeth and mouthed 'go'. 

Percy didn't fail to notice the tears streaking down her cheeks as she left. 

* * *

 Annabeth’s reflection peered up at her from the lake, distorted by the ripples strewn across the surface. It was her favorite place of solitude - a place she liked to come when she just needed to get away from everything. Today, she was avoiding Luke - something she seemed to be doing more often lately.

Sure, their relationship had started off strong, but their dynamic increasingly felt like they were walking on eggshells. Every day, even multiple times a day, Luke would be on the verge of picking a fight. He would complain about something ridiculously minor, and Annabeth could see his nostrils flaring, ready to escalate it. So far, he hadn’t , but Annabeth knew it was only a matter of time. It wasn’t going to be pretty when he did. 

Today, the tension was so thick in the apartment after Annabeth accidentally left her dishes on the counter that she stormed out the door before it could explode into something. There was no way they would make it through the next 4 and a half months without a major fight.

Would the Coach determine her soulmate differently depending on if she fights it out with Luke or tiptoe around him? Then again, why would the Coach pair her with someone so _categorically wrong_ for her in the first place? 

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed someone approaching until the footsteps were directly behind her. She tensed, assuming that Luke had followed her here and was going to start an argument. 

"Whatcha thinking about, Wise Girl?" Came a very welcome voice. 

"Percy!" she exclaimed, jumping up to wrap him in a hug. 

He chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around her, "Well, hello to you too."

"How have you been?" She questioned breathlessly.  

“I’ve been better,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, awkwardly. 

Selfishly, Annabeth couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved that he hadn’t found an amazing match. She was holding onto a single thread of hope that what they had was special - that he was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him.  

“If it makes you feel better, I’m probably worse off than you,” she said shrugging as she sat back down.

Percy laughed, “Oh, Luke implied you don’t love him today too?”

Her eyebrows shot up, “Your match asked you that?”

“Not asked. Calypso told me that I don’t love her.” 

Annabeth sucked in a breath, “You don’t? Love her, that is?”

Percy sat down beside her before answering, “No I don’t think I do.There’s just something that’s not...right between us.” 

She turned towards him and found his gaze focused intensely on her. 

Shifting her eyes downward, she replied, "I know what you mean. It's so clear Luke and I aren't right for each other, so why is this match so long?" 

" _Everything happens for a reason"_ Percy parroted derisively. 

She laughed without humor, "So I've been told." 

After a beat of pleasant silence, she struck up the conversation again, "So how long do you have left in your match with Calypso?"

"23 days. I have no idea what to expect after that though. It seems like every match has slightly less chemistry, but a slightly longer time," he joked, bumping into her shoulder. 

"Tell me about it," she scoffed. 

So quietly she almost missed it, Percy whispered, "It's not fair." 

Hoping she wasn't pushing any boundaries, she reached over and covered his hand with hers. His eyes fluttered shut and a single tear streaked down his cheek. 

"It's really not, but I have to remind myself this is all building to my soulmate. It'll be worth it in the end, right?" 

_Not if it's not you,_ Percy thought traitorously. Instead, he just nodded silently, not trusting his voice. 

Annabeth looked down at her watch and cursed.

"I'm going to be late for dinner with Luke," she said as she pushed herself up from the ground.

"It was really great seeing you, Wise Girl," Percy spoke in a voice laced with an almost embarrassing amount of sincerity. 

“Well maybe, if you’re not busy next Tuesday, we could meet back here at the same time?” she asked, resolutely staring at the ground.

“I’d like that,” he whispered. 

They smiled softly at each other before she turned away. Annabeth wasn’t totally sure this was ‘legal’ under the Coach system.  

As long as she could see Percy, she didn’t care.

* * *

 After the day at the lake, Calypso had decided to all but ignore his presence. When he asked her about it, she sighed and in a resigned voice, told him that since their match wasn’t going anywhere and the time was almost up, she didn’t see the point of trying anymore. ‘Waiting for the end of my sentence’ were the words she used that particularly stung. 

Tuesdays were the highlight of his week, in part because it was nice to spend time with someone who actually wanted to talk to him . Mostly, he just enjoyed getting to know Annabeth. It felt like they were making up for time they were never given. 

They’d stay at the lake for  hours talking about anything and everything - favorite colors, deepest fears, hopes and dreams - things that neither felt comfortable sharing with their current matches. 

It was broad daylight and they always sat a few feet apart, but something about it still felt so illicit. Percy wasn’t an expert on the rules of the program, but he figured deep conversations with non-matches were generally looked down upon. 

When the time ran out on his and Calypso’s relationship, Percy wrapped her in a hug before she left. At first, she stiffened under his touch, but gradually, she melted into it, sighing and laying her head on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair, “I know you’re match is out there, and I hope you find him soon.” 

She only nodded, but Percy could feel the tears seeping into his shirt. 

“Take care of yourself Percy,” she said as she backed away, “I hope it works out with you and Annabeth.”

He blushed and ducked his head, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t exactly up to him if things would work out with Annabeth at all.

Smiling knowingly, she gave him one final wave and strode over to the van that was waiting for her. Percy lifted a hand in return, opting to head to the lake instead of to the temporary apartment.

He wound up skipping rocks mindlessly. Every time, the rocks skipped 4 times, which was surprising, given how terrible Percy was at it when he and his mom would go to Montauk. 

Suddenly, his Coach beeped. 

_Well, here we go again_.

Sure enough, his next match had popped up on the screen , with their dinner scheduled for 30 minutes from now. 

"C'mon Coach, you gotta give me more notice than this," he whined as he all but ran back to his apartment. 

* * *

 45 minutes later, he burst through the doors of the restaurant , gasping from the sprint over.  Checking his Coach, he made his way over to the table in the back corner of the restaurant, where a fiery red-head was seated. 

Before he could even open his mouth to apologize, she whispered, “Oh look you finally showed up.”

Percy plastered on his best cheery smile, “Yeah  got kind of a late notice on this so I had to run home and shower. Sorry about that. “

She didn't say anything, so he stuck his hand out and introduced himself. Instead of taking his hand, she just stared at it and muttered something to herself. 

“So, uh, what's your name? “Percy asked, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable. 

Her green eyes snapped at him and then immediately darted away, “Rachel. Rachel Elizabeth Dare. “

Percy thought the use of the middle name was a little odd, but there was no way in hell he was going to make a comment about it. 

Luckily he was saved by the food being delivered to their table. This time the restaurant served him Paella - did they even look at his food preferences at all? 

"Wow, I don't eat Seafood and that's literally the only thing I've been served here. Seems a bit...fishy " he joked.

Rachel just raised an eyebrow, then rolled her eyes.The rest of dinner passed in silence, as Percy was too afraid that anything he would say would set Rachel off. Eventually, she finished her dinner and looked at Percy expectantly. 

“Well let's get this over with, yeah?” she said motioning to their Coach devices. 

Percy nodded and pulled up the screen to reveal time. They briefly made eye contact before pressing the button. 

_5 months._

No, no, no. Percy must have read that wrong. He squinted, hoping it was just a case of his dyslexia acting up. 

“You've got to be kidding me,” Rachel grumbled across from him. 

He looked up at her, panicking, only to be met with a rage filled gaze. 

“Well looks like we have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Percy said, hoping it would lighten her up. 

No such luck. She pushed up from the table and rushed to the door. When he made it to the van, she was tapping her foot impatiently, glaring at him. 

As the van drove past the big wall, he missed Annabeth immensely. He missed sharing laughs over stupid jokes. He missed feeling like he could just be himself. Even Calypso would politely laugh at his banter, at least at the beginning. 

They’d barely made it through the door when Rachel started taking her clothes off and staring at Percy expectantly. _What the hell?_

“Well. Are we going to get this over with or not?” she stated, as if sex were an obligatory part of being matched in the system. 

"What," Percy muttered, like an idiot. 

“Are you going to fuck me?” she asked, with her hands on her hips. 

"Um, do you want that?" Percy questioned uncomfortably. 

She gestured to her naked body, "What do you think?" 

_Talk about mixed signals…_

Percy figured it might help make them more comfortable with each other, but still, it took him a while to get hard. It was… odd sex to say the least. Rachel was incredibly bossy, but not in a sexy way. He really just felt like he was going through the motions. 

Once they had both finished, Percy ran to the bathroom to take the condom off. When he came back, he found Rachel facing away from him, headphones in her ears. So apparently the sex wasn’t enough to get her to open up to him. 

Sighing, he climbed into bed and checked his Coach countdown, which seemed to be mocking him with the bold 5 months still displayed. 

They fell asleep as far apart as the bed would allow them to be. 

* * *

 Over the following weeks, Percy filled Annabeth in on the torture that had become his life. 

Whenever he’d ask Annabeth how she was doing, she would always shrug and say ‘fine’ in a small voice. Percy knew there was something going on with Luke, but didn’t want to press her on it too hard if she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

And so life went on. Rachel ignored him most days, unless she wanted sex. Percy, in all his optimism, still tried to engage with her. Tuesdays he’d meet Annabeth at the lake. Months went by, and Percy settled into this routine, as best he could. 

One Tuesday, Annabeth was lying on the ground next to him with her hair splayed out. Percy thought it looked sort of like a halo and longed to run his hands through her curls. Percy was rambling, barely paying attention to what was coming out of his month, telling some story about “domestic life” with Rachel. 

She glanced up at him then, pursing her lips before asking, “So, do you still think dating before the system would have been a waste of time?” 

“I -” Percy started, unsure of what to say, “I’m not sure. I could see its merits.” 

“I’m starting to think I might have preferred it,” Annabeth whispered, not meeting his eyes, “I guess the Coach system is just different than I thought it’d be.” 

“Didn’t think we’d be matched with terrible people for so long?” Percy asked, knowing exactly how she was feeling. 

“The way it started,” she trailed off for a few moments, “I was expecting my matches to get better, not worse.” 

“I thought so too. Maybe it has to get worse before it gets better. The night is darkest just before the dawn or some shit like that.”

Annabeth let out a small chuckle, and Percy’s chest fluttered ever so slightly at the sound.

“Maybe,” she said, turning towards him, her eyes sparkling. From tears or hope, he couldn’t tell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is about 75% of the way done, so I'm hoping that one will be up quicker! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope this made sense! If you're confused, let me know and I can try to clarify any parts of the world you don't understand. 
> 
> Might be a bit before my next update because, well, life, but should be a few more chapters coming your way.


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